One of the biggest challenges that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. Pursuing a degree in STEM will allow me to be able to get accepted into physical therapy school so I can become a physical therapist. I have wanted to become a physical therapist for a while and in order to get my certification, I need to first get a degree in STEM, which will be kinesiology. I will use my success from college to get into a good Medical School. A degree in STEM will also help me improve with my personal aspirations because it will allow me to gain a sense of time management and help me to be successful in an educational environment. These things will be beneficial to me in both my professional and personal life which will help my future. I wish to eventually work as a physical therapist for a professional team in the NBA or the NFL and getting my degree in STEM will help put me on this path.

One of the biggest challenges that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. Pursuing a degree in STEM will allow me to be able to get accepted into physical therapy school so I can become a physical therapist. I have wanted to become a physical therapist for a while and in order to get my certification, I need to first get a degree in STEM, which will be kinesiology. I will use my success from college to get into a good Medical School. A degree in STEM will also help me improve with my personal aspirations because it will allow me to gain a sense of time management and help me to be successful in an educational environment. These things will be beneficial to me in both my professional and personal life which will help my future. I wish to eventually work as a physical therapist for a professional team in the NBA or the NFL and getting this scholarship will help put me on this path and lead me to where I want to end up in life.

I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. I have been influenced by this environment by getting to understand my roots and know where I come from. Knowing that I come from a hard-working family and a family that has gone through horrible things has taught me that nice things in life don't come easy. The harder you work, the better your future will be. What motivates me is knowing that I can be the change in my family. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom. This scholarship will help me reach this goal.

One of the biggest challenges in adversity that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. I have been influenced by this environment by getting to understand my roots and know where I come from. Knowing that I come from a hard-working family and a family that has gone through horrible things has taught me that nice things in life don't come easy. The harder you work, the better your future will be. What motivates me is knowing that I can be the change in my family. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom. If someone was in the same position as me, I would tell them to use the struggles they face as motivation and to not let anything or anyone hold them back from reaching their goals.

One of the biggest challenges that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. Another hardship I have faced in life would be my mom's passing. When I was about 10 years old, my family and I went to a beach. We were playing in the water and my mom and my brother decided to go further out. After a while, we did not see them, but we heard screaming. My mom and my brother were struggling, getting pulled back by the waves. Eventually, they washed up on shore, both unconscious. After a couple of days, my brother was released from the hospital, however, my mom was declared dead on site. Seeing this as a kid was one of the most traumatic things to happen to me. I did not fully understand how all of a sudden my mom was just gone and how much my life was about to change. However, this just meant that I had to grow up faster. Being the oldest girl at the house, I had to help my dad with taking care of my younger sister and I even had to take over some of my brother's roles since he was not doing too well. I no longer had a mother to guide me through life and teach me the ways of becoming a woman. I had to constantly help my little sister with things my mom would have done, barely knowing how to do them myself. I had to do her hair, geet her dressed, help her with homework, and even teach her about going through puberty. I had other family around, but it was just my dad, brother, sister, and I in the house together. I also learned that people grieve in different ways. I wondered why my dad did not seem to care, but I soon realized he did. He was heartbroken about the situation, he was just trying to be strong for my siblings and I. I gained the understanding that no matter how a person looks or acts on the outside, you never know what they feel on the inside. Although my mom passing away was very hard on me, it made me into a more mature person. I was able to overcome this hardship and learn from this situation. I grew past not growing up without a mother and learned how to better take care of myself. I gained independence and maturity, things that could not be taught. Even though my mom’s death was painful, it helped me grow into the person I am today. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom. I plan on using some of the money I will make from being a physical therapist to give back to the community and donate to other students like me. I will donate money to charities, organizations, and other students trying to go to college in order to allow people to get the college education experience they want and need.

One of the biggest challenges that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. Another event in my life that has helped prepare me to be successful in college would be my mom's passing. When I was about 10 years old, my family and I went to a beach. We were playing in the water and my mom and my brother decided to go further out. After a while, we didn't see them, but we heard screaming. My mom and my brother were struggling, getting pulled back by the waves. Eventually, they washed up on shore, both unconscious. After a couple of days, my brother was released from the hospital, however, my mom was declared dead on site. Seeing this as a kid was one of the most traumatic things to happen to me. However, this just meant that I had to grow up faster. Being the oldest girl at the house, I had to help my dad with taking care of my younger sister and I even had to take over some of my brother's roles since he was not doing too well. Although my mom passing away was very hard on me, it made me into a more mature person, which will allow me to be successful in college. This event has shown me that I am stronger than I think I am and I have the power to push past any adversity that comes my way.

My Love Island challenge would be a challenge that would kind of imitate the idea of an escape room. One person in a couple would be locked in a room while the other partner would be on the outside answering a series of questions. In order to completely free their partner, the significant other would have to answer ten questions correctly. The questions would center around the significant other to see how well the couple knows each other. Examples of questions could be “what is the name of your partners first boyfriend/ girlfriend?” or even data based questions like “what percentage of high school sweet hearts stay together?”. Each question the significant other gets right would bring them one step closer to freeing their partner. The significant other would win some sort of key each question they answer correctly and unlock part of the room their partner is trapped in. If the significant other answers a question wrong, ten seconds gets added to their time. Each couple group would take turns competing and the couple that has the fastest time wins. The prize could be a date or a family call. The losing couples punishment would be that they have to stand in the middle while the other couples throw water balloons filled with some sort of nasty concoction at them.

My favorite athlete I am cheering for on Team USA is Sha’Carri Richardson. She is my favorite athlete because I have seen how much she has been through and how much she has overcome. She has shown me to never stop chasing my dreams and to try my best at whatever I do. As a young black woman myself, she has shown me the power she has as a black female and how she does not let race or gender stop her from doing what she believes in. Sha’Carri symbolizes the strength and determination I wish to have throughout college and while getting my degree no matter the roadblocks I may face. I am also cheering for Sha’Carri because I truly believe she can win the 100 meter dash and I believe she can claim the title of the fastest woman in the world. I am inspired by her talent and her drive and although she has seen fame, she still seems very down to earth and friendly. She seems like she would be a nice person and would be a great winner for Team USA. I will be cheering for Sha’Carri Richardson throughout her race and I hope that she wins!

I want to pursue a degree in Kinesiology because I would love to be a physical therapist. When I was younger, my dad had an accident when he tore his ACL. He had to get knee surgery and go through physical therapy to help him get his mobility back. One time, I went with him to one of his physical therapy appointments and I saw how they treated him. The physical therapists were all kind and extremely helpful, they were very patient with him and helped him get his mobility back. Ever since that day, I have always wanted to be a physical therapist. My degree in kinesiology will help me get into physical therapy school and eventually allow me to be able to become a physical therapist. The person that has most inspired me would be my dad. Besides being my teacher and leader, he has shown me what true strength and determination is. The night my mom passed away, my dad and I were driving back from the hospital and, all of a sudden, my dad started bawling. This scared me a little bit because it was the first time I had ever seen my dad cry, however, at this moment, I realized how much my dad loved my mom and I worried what we would do without her. I didn't know if we were going to be okay without my mom, but I underestimated my dad. Although my mom had just died, I didn't go without a meal, all of the bills got paid, and my dad still proceeded to raise all three of his children that were still at home. I knew my dad was hurting, but I could see how strong he was by still continuing to give me and my siblings the best life he could give us. The strength that my dad has shown me is what pushes me to try and be the best for him. I have seen how life can attempt to break a person; however, my dad's reaction to it has taught me that life can only break you if you allow it too. God will not give you anything you cannot handle and will always be with you every step of the way. One topic I want to learn in college is business and finance. As you get older, I feel that it is important to be able to know how to save, pay bills, and just handle money in general. I would like to learn the basic skills on how to handle money and how to be successful when trying to save for the future. I would also like to learn about filing for taxes, getting on plans for different insurances, and writing a will. These are just a few things that I would like to learn to help me through life. I think knowing these things play an important role in becoming a successful adult and they will help make adult life easier. Taking classes that lay out this information for me would be extremely helpful and relevant for my life.

I want to pursue a degree in Kinesiology because I would love to be a physical therapist. When I was younger, my dad had an accident when he tore his ACL. He had to get knee surgery and go through physical therapy to help him get his mobility back. One time, I went with him to one of his physical therapy appointments and I saw how they treated him. The physical therapists were all kind and extremely helpful, they were very patient with him and helped him get his mobility back. Ever since that day, I have always wanted to be a physical therapist. My degree in kinesiology will help me get into physical therapy school and eventually allow me to be able to become a physical therapist. The person that has most inspired me would be my dad. Besides being my teacher and leader, he has shown me what true strength and determination is. The night my mom passed away, my dad and I were driving back from the hospital and, all of a sudden, my dad started bawling. This scared me a little bit because it was the first time I had ever seen my dad cry, however, at this moment, I realized how much my dad loved my mom and I worried what we would do without her. I didn't know if we were going to be okay without my mom, but I underestimated my dad. Although my mom had just died, I didn't go without a meal, all of the bills got paid, and my dad still proceeded to raise all three of his children that were still at home. I knew my dad was hurting, but I could see how strong he was by still continuing to give me and my siblings the best life he could give us. The strength that my dad has shown me is what pushes me to try and be the best for him. I have seen how life can attempt to break a person; however, my dad's reaction to it has taught me that life can only break you if you allow it too. God will not give you anything you cannot handle and will always be with you every step of the way. One topic I want to learn in college is business and finance. As you get older, I feel that it is important to be able to know how to save, pay bills, and just handle money in general. I would like to learn the basic skills on how to handle money and how to be successful when trying to save for the future. I would also like to learn about filing for taxes, getting on plans for different insurances, and writing a will. These are just a few things that I would like to learn to help me through life. I think knowing these things play an important role in becoming a successful adult and they will help make adult life easier. Taking classes that lay out this information for me would be extremely helpful and relevant for my life. This scholarship would help me achieve all of these things.

I want to pursue a degree in Kinesiology because I would love to be a physical therapist. When I was younger, my dad had an accident when he tore his ACL. He had to get knee surgery and go through physical therapy to help him get his mobility back. One time, I went with him to one of his physical therapy appointments and I saw how they treated him. The physical therapists were all kind and extremely helpful, they were very patient with him and helped him get his mobility back. Ever since that day, I have always wanted to be a physical therapist. My degree in kinesiology will help me get into physical therapy school and eventually allow me to be able to become a physical therapist. The person that has most inspired me would be my dad. Besides being my teacher and leader, he has shown me what true strength and determination is. The night my mom passed away, my dad and I were driving back from the hospital and, all of a sudden, my dad started bawling. This scared me a little bit because it was the first time I had ever seen my dad cry, however, at this moment, I realized how much my dad loved my mom and I worried what we would do without her. I didn't know if we were going to be okay without my mom, but I underestimated my dad. Although my mom had just died, I didn't go without a meal, all of the bills got paid, and my dad still proceeded to raise all three of his children that were still at home. I knew my dad was hurting, but I could see how strong he was by still continuing to give me and my siblings the best life he could give us. The strength that my dad has shown me is what pushes me to try and be the best for him. I have seen how life can attempt to break a person; however, my dad's reaction to it has taught me that life can only break you if you allow it too. God will not give you anything you cannot handle and will always be with you every step of the way. One topic I want to learn in college is business and finance. As you get older, I feel that it is important to be able to know how to save, pay bills, and just handle money in general. I would like to learn the basic skills on how to handle money and how to be successful when trying to save for the future. I would also like to learn about filing for taxes, getting on plans for different insurances, and writing a will. These are just a few things that I would like to learn to help me through life. I think knowing these things play an important role in becoming a successful adult and they will help make adult life easier. Taking classes that lay out this information for me would be extremely helpful and relevant for my life.

One of the biggest challenges in adversity that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. I have been influenced by this environment by getting to understand my roots and know where I come from. Knowing that I come from a hard-working family and a family that has gone through horrible things has taught me that nice things in life don't come easy. The harder you work, the better your future will be. What motivates me is knowing that I can be the change in my family. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom.

An example of adversity I have faced in life would be my mom's passing. When I was about 10 years old, my family and I went to a beach. We were playing in the water and my mom and my brother decided to go further out. After a while, we did not see them, but we heard screaming. My mom and my brother were struggling, getting pulled back by the waves. Eventually, they washed up on shore, both unconscious. After a couple of days, my brother was released from the hospital, however, my mom was declared dead on site. Seeing this as a kid was one of the most traumatic things to happen to me. I did not fully understand how all of a sudden my mom was just gone and how much my life was about to change. However, this just meant that I had to grow up faster. Being the oldest girl at the house, I had to help my dad with taking care of my younger sister and I even had to take over some of my brother's roles since he was not doing too well. I no longer had a mother to guide me through life and teach me the ways of becoming a woman. I had to constantly help my little sister with things my mom would have done, barely knowing how to do them myself. I had to do her hair, get her dressed, help her with homework, and even teach her about going through puberty. I had other family around, but it was just my dad, brother, sister, and I in the house together. I also learned that people grieve in different ways. I wondered why my dad did not seem to care, but I soon realized he did. He was heartbroken about the situation, he was just trying to be strong for my siblings and I. I gained the understanding that no matter how a person looks or acts on the outside, you never know what they feel on the inside. Although my mom passing away was very hard on me, it made me into a more mature person. I was able to overcome this adversity and learn from this situation. I grew past not growing up without a mother and learned how to better take care of myself. I gained independence and maturity, things that could not be taught. Even though my mom’s death was painful, it helped me grow into the person I am today. If someone else had to go through this, I would tell them that everything happens for a reason, and, you may not realize it now, but this moment will help strengthen you, not weaken you.

I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. I have been influenced by this environment by getting to understand my roots and know where I come from. Knowing that I come from a hard-working family and a family that has gone through horrible things has taught me that nice things in life don't come easy. The harder you work, the better your future will be. What motivates me is knowing that I can be the change in my family. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom. I plan on using some of the money I will make from being a physical therapist to give back to the community and donate to other students like me. I will donate money to charities, organizations, and other students trying to go to college in order to allow people to get the college education experience they want and need. I think it is important to increase racial adversity in healthcare because it shows others that it is possible for people like me to go to college and be successful. It opens a door for others to join me and health care and bring in more diversity.

I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. I have been influenced by this environment by getting to understand my roots and know where I come from. Knowing that I come from a hard-working family and a family that has gone through horrible things has taught me that nice things in life don't come easy. The harder you work, the better your future will be. What motivates me is knowing that I can be the change in my family. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom. I plan on using some of the money I will make from being a physical therapist to give back to the community and donate to other students like me. I will donate money to charities, organizations, and other students trying to go to college in order to allow people to get the college education experience they want and need.

I want to pursue a degree in Kinesiology because I would love to be a physical therapist. When I was younger, my dad had an accident when he tore his ACL. He had to get knee surgery and go through physical therapy to help him get his mobility back. One time, I went with him to one of his physical therapy appointments and I saw how they treated him. The physical therapists were all kind and extremely helpful, they were very patient with him and helped him get his mobility back. Ever since that day, I have always wanted to be a physical therapist. My degree in kinesiology will help me get into physical therapy school and eventually allow me to be able to become a physical therapist. The person that has most inspired me would be my dad. Besides being my teacher and leader, he has shown me what true strength and determination is. The night my mom passed away, my dad and I were driving back from the hospital and, all of a sudden, my dad started bawling. This scared me a little bit because it was the first time I had ever seen my dad cry, however, at this moment, I realized how much my dad loved my mom and I worried what we would do without her. I didn't know if we were going to be okay without my mom, but I underestimated my dad. Although my mom had just died, I didn't go without a meal, all of the bills got paid, and my dad still proceeded to raise all three of his children that were still at home. I knew my dad was hurting, but I could see how strong he was by still continuing to give me and my siblings the best life he could give us. The strength that my dad has shown me is what pushes me to try and be the best for him. I have seen how life can attempt to break a person; however, my dad's reaction to it has taught me that life can only break you if you allow it too. God will not give you anything you cannot handle and will always be with you every step of the way. One topic I want to learn in college is business and finance. As you get older, I feel that it is important to be able to know how to save, pay bills, and just handle money in general. I would like to learn the basic skills on how to handle money and how to be successful when trying to save for the future. I would also like to learn about filing for taxes, getting on plans for different insurances, and writing a will. These are just a few things that I would like to learn to help me through life. I think knowing these things play an important role in becoming a successful adult and they will help make adult life easier. Taking classes that lay out this information for me would be extremely helpful and relevant for my life.

One of the biggest challenges in adversity that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. I have been influenced by this environment by getting to understand my roots and know where I come from. Knowing that I come from a hard-working family and a family that has gone through horrible things has taught me that nice things in life don't come easy. The harder you work, the better your future will be. What motivates me is knowing that I can be the change in my family. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom. I plan on using some of the money I will make from being a physical therapist to give back to the community and donate to other students like me. I will donate money to charities, organizations, and other students trying to go to college in order to allow people to get the college education experience they want and need.

An issue affecting my community is the influence of social media. Being born in the early 2000's, I grew up around the heavy influence of social media. By the time I was in fifth grade, all people talked about was their followings on Instagram or their friends on snap chat. Instead of wanting to go and play outside, kids would rather play on their phones and be on social media. Young people being unsupervised on social media is extremely dangerous. Kids can talk to whomever they want on social media and not realize that the person they are talking to could be cat-fishing them. They could meet up with someone they met on social media and put themselves in an unsafe situation because they are meeting up with a complete stranger. Not only can social media at a young age be unsafe, it also does not allow kids to build character. Just like everyone, when I was younger, I went through my awkward phase. I dressed myself in clothes that didn't match, wore my ponytail on the side of my head, and made jokes that make me cringe now that I look back on them. I used to look back on this version of me with embarrassment, and sometimes I still do. However, I would not be the person I am today without this phase in my life. This phase helped me build character and personality. It lets me know what type of person I am and want to be. This newer generation does not get that awkward stage anymore. They are so busy following trends on TikTok and Instagram that they are never trying to be their own person and express themselves with their own style. If social media at a young age continues to happen, everyone will be the same and there will no longer be individuality. I may be young myself, but my generation has the most insight about this situation because we are the generation that experienced this social media outbreak first hand and we have the power to change the future. I could create a positive change with this issue by creating awareness about this situation and helping create restrictions on social media. Make it to where you have to have parent consent to be on social media until a certain age so that way parents can better monitor the presence of social media in their household. I also think it is important to teach my future kids the importance of having fun and being yourself without the harsh presence of social media at a young age. I believe a change in this issue starts with the younger generations, including myself. Us as a generation need to push for higher social media standards and need to be less involved with social media. This can create a positive change and benefit future generations by ensuring the safety of upcoming youth and providing them with a way to be able to grow without the pressure of social media. Another idea that has the power to drive a positive change and benefit future generations would be to decrease the waste of food. There is too much food that is wasted everyday. Food is wasted at buffets, in homes, and even at school. There are children and families that die from hunger everyday. If we balance out the food wasted and the food needed for the families experiencing hunger, we could decrease hunger and the waste of food. In order to make this happen, saving food needs to be promoted and the food that is saved news to be given to people that need it. Food drives can be held that collect food as well as other fundraisers that can help collect food or money. By decreasing the amount of food waste, the new generations can be stronger and healthier. No longer will hunger be a big issue in communities that suffer from poverty. One last innovative idea I think that is capable of driving a positive change for our nation and benefiting future generations is to eliminate the rising costs of healthcare in areas that already have trouble affording it. Many areas that suffer from poverty have poor little to no healthcare because of how expensive it is. This causes higher mortality rates and rates of illness in these areas. To solve these problems, our nation should make health insurance more affordable and cover more areas of health. By making insurance more affordable, more people are able to buy it and are able to receive the healthcare they need. Another solution to this problem would be for our nation as a whole to take better care of their bodies so we will not need as much healthcare. America has a big problem with obesity. More exercise and less bad food should be instilled into our everyday schedules to prevent the high rates of obesity and to improve our physical health. Mentally, I believe more awareness should be spread for mental health in order to lessen the load on people that struggle with their mental health. This will allow their mental health to improve and not have to rely on healthcare so much. I think it is important for our nation to instill healthy living habits in order to prevent the excessive need for healthcare since it is so expensive. Overall, I believe some of the main issues affecting our nation are the influence of social media, excessive food rates, and expensive healthcare. I believe we can create a positive change towards these problems or even solve them if we take the right steps to help these issues. We can help these problems by restricting social media use at a young age, limit the waste of food, and follow the right ideas when it comes to caring about your health. I believe it is the little things a community can come together and do that end up having the biggest impact on a situation. These problems are not simple issues to solve, but there are ways to help change them in a positive way and improve them.

One of the biggest challenges in adversity that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. I have been influenced by this environment by getting to understand my roots and know where I come from. Knowing that I come from a hard-working family and a family that has gone through horrible things has taught me that nice things in life don't come easy. The harder you work, the better your future will be. What motivates me is knowing that I can be the change in my family. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom. I plan on using some of the money I will make from being a physical therapist to give back to the community and donate to other students like me. I will donate money to charities, organizations, and other students trying to go to college in order to allow people to get the college education experience they want and need.

Throughout my time in high school, I have volunteered a lot and have been a part of many clubs that help with community service hours, such as Key Club and National Honor Society. My favorite act of community service was volunteering for the local Special Olympics. I enjoyed this act of service because it allowed me to interact with others and see a positive change happening in the moment. This moment impacted my life because I was able to see how much joy the Olympic games brought to the contestants and how a community came together to support them. In the future, I would like to continue to volunteer for the Special Olympics and donate to the organization to keep the games going.

One of the biggest challenges in adversity that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. I have been influenced by this environment by getting to understand my roots and know where I come from. Knowing that I come from a hard-working family and a family that has gone through horrible things has taught me that nice things in life don't come easy. The harder you work, the better your future will be. What motivates me is knowing that I can be the change in my family. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom. I plan on using some of the money I will make from being a physical therapist to give back to the community and donate to other students like me. I will donate money to charities, organizations, and other students trying to go to college in order to allow people to get the college education experience they want and need.

I want to pursue a degree in Kinesiology because I would love to e a physical therapist. When I was younger, my dad had an accident when he tore his ACL. He had to get knee surgery and go through physical therapy to help him get his mobility back. One time, I went with him to one of his physical therapy appointments and I saw how they treated him. The physical therapists were all kid and extremely helpful, they were very patient with him and helped him get his mobility back. Ever since that day, I have always wanted to be a physical therapist. My degree in kinesiology will help me get into physical therapy school and eventually allow me to be able to become a physical therapist. The person that has most inspired me would be my dad. Besides being my teacher and leader, he has shown me what true strength and determination is. The night my mom passed away, my dad and I were driving back from the hospital and, all of a sudden, my dad started bawling. This scared me a little bit because it was the first time I had ever seen my dad cry, however, at this moment, I realized how much my dad loved my mom and I worried what we would do without her. I didn't know if we were going to be okay without my mom, but I underestimated my dad. Although my mom had just died, I didn't go without a meal, all of the bills got paid, and my dad still proceeded to raise all three of his children that were still at home. I knew my dad was hurting, but I could see how strong he was by still continuing to give me and my siblings the best life he could give us. The strength that my dad has shown me is what pushes me to try and be the best for him. I have seen how life can attempt to break a person; however, my dad's reaction to it has taught me that life can only break you if you allow it too. God will not give you anything you cannot handle and will always be with you every step of the way. One topic I want to learn in college is business and finance. As you get older, I feel that it is important to be able to know how to save, pay bills, and just handle money in general. I would like to learn the basic skills on how to handle money and how to be successful when trying to save for the future. I would also like to learn about filing for taxes, getting on plans for different insurances, and writing a will. These are just a few things that I would like to learn to help me through life. I think knowing these things play an important role in becoming a successful adult and they will help make adult life easier. Taking classes that lay out this information for me would be extremely helpful and relevant for my life.

One of the biggest challenges in adversity that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. I have been influenced by this environment by getting to understand my roots and know where I come from. Knowing that I come from a hard-working family and a family that has gone through horrible things has taught me that nice things in life don't come easy. The harder you work, the better your future will be. What motivates me is knowing that I can be the change in my family. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom. I plan on using some of the money I will make from being a physical therapist to give back to the community and donate to other students like me. I will donate money to charities, organizations, and other students trying to go to college in order to allow people to get the college education experience they want and need.

An example of adversity I have faced in life would be my mom's passing. When I was about 10 years old, my family and I went to a beach. We were playing in the water and my mom and my brother decided to go further out. After a while, we did not see them, but we heard screaming. My mom and my brother were struggling, getting pulled back by the waves. Eventually, they washed up on shore, both unconscious. After a couple of days, my brother was released from the hospital, however, my mom was declared dead on site. Seeing this as a kid was one of the most traumatic things to happen to me. I did not fully understand how all of a sudden my mom was just gone and how much my life was about to change. However, this just meant that I had to grow up faster. Being the oldest girl at the house, I had to help my dad with taking care of my younger sister and I even had to take over some of my brother's roles since he was not doing too well. I no longer had a mother to guide me through life and teach me the ways of becoming a woman. I had to constantly help my little sister with things my mom would have done, barely knowing how to do them myself. I had to do her hair, get her dressed, help her with homework, and even teach her about going through puberty. I had other family around, but it was just my dad, brother, sister, and I in the house together. I also learned that people grieve in different ways. I wondered why my dad did not seem to care, but I soon realized he did. He was heartbroken about the situation, he was just trying to be strong for my siblings and I. I gained the understanding that no matter how a person looks or acts on the outside, you never know what they feel on the inside. Although my mom passing away was very hard on me, it made me into a more mature person. I was able to overcome this adversity and learn from this situation. I grew past not growing up without a mother and learned how to better take care of myself. I gained independence and maturity, things that could not be taught. Even though my mom’s death was painful, it helped me grow into the person I am today. If someone else had to go through this, I would tell them that everything happens for a reason, and, you may not realize it now, but this moment will help strengthen you, not weaken you.

An issue affecting my community is the influence of social media. Being born in the early 2000's, I grew up around the heavy influence of social media. By the time I was in fifth grade, all people talked about was their followings on Instagram or their friends on snap chat. Instead of wanting to go and play outside, kids would rather play on their phones and be on social media. Young people being unsupervised on social media is extremely dangerous. Kids can talk to whomever they want on social media and not realize that the person they are talking to could be cat-fishing them. They could meet up with someone they met on social media and put themselves in an unsafe situation because they are meeting up with a complete stranger. Not only can social media at a young age be unsafe, it also does not allow kids to build character. Just like everyone, when I was younger, I went through my awkward phase. I dressed myself in clothes that didn't match, wore my ponytail on the side of my head, and made jokes that make me cringe now that I look back on them. I used to look back on this version of me with embarrassment, and sometimes I still do. However, I would not be the person I am today without this phase in my life. This phase helped me build character and personality. It lets me know what type of person I am and want to be. This newer generation does not get that awkward stage anymore. They are so busy following trends on TikTok and Instagram that they are never trying to be their own person and express themselves with their own style. If social media at a young age continues to happen, everyone will be the same and there will no longer be individuality. I may be young myself, but my generation has the most insight about this situation because we are the generation that experienced this social media outbreak first hand and we have the power to change the future. I could create a positive change with this issue by creating awareness about this situation and helping create restrictions on social media. Make it to where you have to have parent consent to be on social media until a certain age so that way parents can better monitor the presence of social media in their household. I also think it is important to teach my future kids the importance of having fun and being yourself without the harsh presence of social media at a young age. I believe a change in this issue starts with the younger generations, including myself. Us as a generation need to push for higher social media standards and need to be less involved with social media. This can create a positive change and benefit future generations by ensuring the safety of upcoming youth and providing them with a way to be able to grow without the pressure of social media. Another idea that has the power to drive a positive change and benefit future generations would be to decrease the waste of food. There is too much food that is wasted everyday. Food is wasted at buffets, in homes, and even at school. There are children and families that die from hunger everyday. If we balance out the food wasted and the food needed for the families experiencing hunger, we could decrease hunger and the waste of food. In order to make this happen, saving food needs to be promoted and the food that is saved news to be given to people that need it. Food drives can be held that collect food as well as other fundraisers that can help collect food or money. By decreasing the amount of food waste, the new generations can be stronger and healthier. No longer will hunger be a big issue in communities that suffer from poverty. One last innovative idea I think that is capable of driving a positive change for our nation and benefiting future generations is to eliminate the rising costs of healthcare in areas that already have trouble affording it. Many areas that suffer from poverty have poor little to no healthcare because of how expensive it is. This causes higher mortality rates and rates of illness in these areas. To solve these problems, our nation should make health insurance more affordable and cover more areas of health. By making insurance more affordable, more people are able to buy it and are able to receive the healthcare they need. Another solution to this problem would be for our nation as a whole to take better care of their bodies so we will not need as much healthcare. America has a big problem with obesity. More exercise and less bad food should be instilled into our everyday schedules to prevent the high rates of obesity and to improve our physical health. Mentally, I believe more awareness should be spread for mental health in order to lessen the load on people that struggle with their mental health. This will allow their mental health to improve and not have to rely on healthcare so much. I think it is important for our nation to instill healthy living habits in order to prevent the excessive need for healthcare since it is so expensive. Overall, I believe some of the main issues affecting our nation are the influence of social media, excessive food rates, and expensive healthcare. I believe we can create a positive change towards these problems or even solve them if we take the right steps to help these issues. We can help these problems by restricting social media use at a young age, limit the waste of food, and follow the right ideas when it comes to caring about your health. I believe it is the little things a community can come together and do that end up having the biggest impact on a situation. These problems are not simple issues to solve, but there are ways to help change them in a positive way and improve them.

One of the biggest challenges that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. Pursuing a degree in STEM will allow me to be able to get accepted into physical therapy school so I can become a physical therapist. I have wanted to become a physical therapist for a while and in order to get my certification, I need to first get a degree in STEM, which will be kinesiology. I will use my success from college to get into a good Medical School. A degree in STEM will also help me improve with my personal aspirations because it will allow me to gain a sense of time management and help me to be successful in an educational environment. These things will be beneficial to me in both my professional and personal life which will help my future. I wish to eventually work as a physical therapist for a professional team in the NBA or the NFL and getting my degree in STEM will help put me on this path.

One of the biggest challenges in adversity that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. I have been influenced by this environment by getting to understand my roots and know where I come from. Knowing that I come from a hard-working family and a family that has gone through horrible things has taught me that nice things in life don't come easy. The harder you work, the better your future will be. What motivates me is knowing that I can be the change in my family. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom.

One of the biggest challenges in adversity that I have faced regarding me going to college would be me being the first person in my family to go to college. I come from a family where neither my father nor mother went to college. Out of all three of my older siblings. None of them have gone and successfully completed college. My parents paid for my oldest sister to go to college where she then dropped out. My dad then put her in the Air Force where she later got kicked out. My second oldest sister started college at Blinn but did not complete it before she dropped out. My dad decided to put my older brother in the Air Force due to him being unfocused in school. More than they realize it, my siblings not attending college ended up affecting a lot. I constantly hear from my dad about how I need to be the first one to change the cycle and be his first child to go to college. This puts a lot of pressure on me, but it also motivates me. Another challenge I face with my situation is I have no one around me with the experience of college. There are many tasks I have to figure out by myself because none of my family has ever done it before. However, I do not see coming from a family with no college background as a bad thing, I see it as motivation. I have been influenced by this environment by getting to understand my roots and know where I come from. Knowing that I come from a hard-working family and a family that has gone through horrible things has taught me that nice things in life don't come easy. The harder you work, the better your future will be. What motivates me is knowing that I can be the change in my family. Coming from a family where I will be a first generation college student, I know that I have the opportunity to get a great job and better my life. My dad once told me that when he sees me walking across the stage with my college diploma, he will know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears we have put into my education will have been worth it. Knowing that I came from a place with only one parent motivates me to push myself and do the best I can while in college. I will use my time wisely to make sure that I perform the best that I can, both in and out of the classroom.

An issue affecting my community is the influence of social media. Being born in the early 2000's, I grew up around the heavy influence of social media. By the time I was in fifth grade, all people talked about was their followings on Instagram or their friends on snap chat. Instead of wanting to go and play outside, kids would rather play on their phones and be on social media. Young people being unsupervised on social media is extremely dangerous. Kids can talk to whomever they want on social media and not realize that the person they are talking to could be cat-fishing them. They could meet up with someone they met on social media and put themselves in an unsafe situation because they are meeting up with a complete stranger. Not only can social media at a young age be unsafe, it also does not allow kids to build character. Just like everyone, when I was younger, I went through my awkward phase. I dressed myself in clothes that didn't match, wore my ponytail on the side of my head, and made jokes that make me cringe now that I look back on them. I used to look back on this version of me with embarrassment, and sometimes I still do. However, I would not be the person I am today without this phase in my life. This phase helped me build character and personality. It let me know what type of person I am and want to be. This newer generation does not get that awkward stage anymore. They are so busy following trends on TikTok and Instagram that are never trying to be their own person and express themselves with their own style. If social media at a young age continues to happen, everyone will be the same and their will no longer be individuality. I may be young myself, but my generation has the most insight about this situation because we are the generation that experienced this social media outbreak first hand and we have the power to change the future. I could create a positive change with this issue by creating awareness about this situation and helping create restrictions on social media. Make it to where you have to have parent consent to be on social media until a certain age so that way parents can better monitor the presence of social media in their household. I also think it is important to teach my future kids the importance of having fun and being yourself without the harsh presence of social media at a young age. I believe a change in this issue starts with the younger generations, including myself.

I believe my strength is unique. When I was 10 years old, I watched my mother die an unnatural death and I couldn't do anything to help her. I was shaken up by her death and went through some very sad times, however, with the help of my family and friends, I was able to get through these times and come out stronger than before. As I look back on this moment in my life, I think about how my life was changed. A couple of years after my mom's passing, my dad remarried to a woman that I do not get along with very well and is mentally exhausting. Her presence only made life harder, but I had to stay strong for my younger sister because she was going through the same thing. I kept thinking to myself, only a couple more years, and I will be free. I am still not free, however, I have grown immensely as a person and have started to try and find the good in my situation. Yes, my mom passed away and an aggravating person took her spot, however, I still have a dad who loves me and I have my other sisters to support me. I have also gained a sense of strength that is very unique and has gotten me through very many obstacles in my life. I plan on giving back to my community through volunteer work. Currently, at my high school, I am in the National Honors Society. Each year, we are required to have completed at least 30 volunteer hours. I have already completed one semester, and have about 15 hours. I am nearing the second semester and have nearly 40 hours. I like to volunteer because there are a variety of ways it can be done and I can physically see a change being made. When volunteering for the Special Olympics, I passed out medals to the competitors. I got to see a big smile appear across their face when they realized they had won something. This little act of kindness made my day because it was something minute that meant a lot to the competitors. Another way I plan on giving back to the community is through donating. I have been blessed to have many items in my house that are not being used. Instead of them just sitting around, I plan on donating these items. There is someone out there that will put these items to great use and give them a better home than I have.

I have previously helped my school at the Hispanic IB information night, volunteered at the local special Olympics, and volunteered at the Fiestas Patrias Parade. I want to impact my community by sharing my knowledge with others, providing resources to those in need, an lend a helping hand.